Till The Morning Comes
by Lianna-snow
Summary: Following the Limey, Castle leaves the precinct. On the outside, Beckett is coping fairly well, on the inside, she's losing it. The nightmare that comes in the deep of the night suddenly forces her and Castle to rethink everything.


Till The Morning Comes

CASTLE ONE-SHOT

A/N: Hey guys:) I GOT TOTALLY SIDETRACKED. But hey, you guys get a new story! Isn't it great? Haha. For those people who know me from tumblr, YES this is the one which I posted, awhile ago. But I added the second part with Rick's version. :) hope you guys like it:D

Warnings: Spoilers for 47 seconds, and The Limey.

Disclaimer: I don't own 'em. Although I wouldn't mind not owning them, if Marlowe gives us a SHOCKING cliffhanger, as usual:) I love the way he scripts the episodes:)

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The detective was running as fast as she could after the fading shadow. She could not tell who it was, and yet, she felt the urgent need to chase after the leaving silhouette. However, the faster she ran, the further it seemed to get. The light was disappearing fast, and soon, there would be nothing for her to follow.

She was about to turn a corner when she spotted a small flash of light from a tall building behind her. Then, she suddenly felt like her chest was on fire, and that she couldn't breathe. It hurt so much that she stopped running and bent over. She noticed red drops dripping onto the floor and it took a second, before she realised that the blood staining the pavement, was her own. An unseen force pushed her backwards, and she found herself staring at the face of her mystery shadow. It was Richard Castle.

She had the sudden urge to say something that was on the tip of her tongue. Unfortunately, her voice seemed to die before it could even reach her throat, and she found herself unable to feel anything. The only thing she could hear was his voice echoing "I never loved you, Kate" over and over again, and it tore at her heart.

She wanted to cry out and scream, but it felt like she was being choked with her own denial. She could only watch as he turned away once more, and turned the corner, exiting her life, and leaving her behind.

###

There was a small 'tock' sound, when the hour hand finally reached its destination. It fit snugly in the space, as the minute hand began to 'tick' again. It was 2am, on an early Monday morning. The sky was still dark, and most people had yet to wake up. Well, MOST people.

Kate woke up with a scream. She was gasping for breath, and clutched her chest tightly. She could almost still feel the phantom blockage in her throat, preventing her from breathing. The pain in her chest still remained though, although it had been reduced to a dull throb. As though unsure if she was still dreaming, Kate unbottoned the top bottons on her blouse, and reached her hand in. Her fingers gently traced the surgical scar that had been placed just over her heart, a harsh reminder that this was reality.

Kate allowed herself a deep breath to calm herself down. Sitting up, she glanced about the room with dazed eyes, as she stretched her cramped muscles. In the midst of getting up, her ankle collided with the edge of a wooden table. She swore softly as she rubbed her sore limb, but at least she was fully awake now. At first, she had doubts about where she was, but once the slow recognition set in, the unfamiliar place became her own living room.

She spotted her hand phone lying on the side of her table, and reached out to dial speed dial one. Just before it rang, she came to a sudden realisation, and ended the call. She couldn't call him, not anymore. He had left the precinct, left the team, left her. She didn't have any authority or dignity left, to call him.

After a distracted attempt to smoothen her ruffled curls, Kate took a long sip from the cup of the water that was sitting on the coffee table, in front of her. She relished the feel of the cold liquid in her throat, and glanced down to the open case file in her lap. A soft sigh escaped her throat. The current case had been very trying for the entire team; even more so because Castle wasn't there to cheer them up or give them ideas. She got up and walked into her room. In her hands, was a copy of Heat Wave, as she sank down onto her bed.

She didn't want to admit it, but she actually missed his presence. She missed the way she could act around him. Now that he was not around anymore, she didn't know how to be herself. Ever since that talk with Lanie, Kate had been blaming herself for not telling him how she felt. Perhaps if she had done so, he might not have left.

There were times when she would hope that as she stepped into the precinct, she would be greeted with the smell of her favorite coffee, and he would be waiting for her. She was quick to dismiss these thoughts, as she figured that he had most likely already moved on. Considering the lanky blonde she saw him hanging around with before he left the precinct, he would not be left single for long.

Kate blinked back the hot tears threatening to spill over from her eyes from the thoughts. She never allowed anyone to see how affected she was, by his abrupt departure. It would be too humiliating, but she wanted him back so badly, that there were times when she almost let herself go.

As she made a quick glance to the window, and to the street lights that poured in, she closed her eyes, hoping that morning would arrive before the hopes and dreams return. She knew that however she handled it, she would always end up heartbreakingly disappointed when she woke up from them.

###

Rick glanced down at his watch as he stood outside the door patiently. The minute hand finally completed its 60th round, allowing the hour hand to move on. It was 2am, and he had been awakened by a sharp scream coming from inside a room. He immediately ran towards the familiar door, and stood outside quietly, waiting for a signal to go in. There was none.

He was relieved to hear that the screams died down after a minute or so. He assumed that she had gone to the bathroom after waking herself up. So, he restrained himself from going in to ask after her.

He knew that she would appreciate him giving her room to be independent, and taking care of herself. She had grown up so fast, that it was difficult for him to remember that she was a teenager now, and that she didn't need her father to become her white knight anymore. Although he was fairly worried, because Alexis' last nightmare, happened when she was a young child.

Rick leaned against the door frame, and began counting the minutes until he heard the tap being shut off, and the door opening. He sighed in relief when silence set in once more. He decided to wait for a few more minutes, just until he made sure that she would not have another nightmare, before he too, went back to bed. He knew that he wasn't going to be able to sleep that night, either, but it didn't matter, because he wasn't going to the precinct anymore.

It had been a week since Castle had last been at the Twelfth. He had told them right after they wrapped up a case, that it was his last one. The team was shocked, needless to say. Everyone, except Beckett. She had been stone faced when he dropped the bombshell, and was the first one to step forward and wish him luck.

Castle was not at all surprised. In fact, he had been expecting that reaction ever since he found out that she had heard him that day. He knew that she didn't return his feelings, so, as it seemed, he managed to successfully turned off the 'switch' to his feelings.

The boys were the ones who asked if he could stay for one more case, but he politely declined the offer. Instead, he gave them the offer to head down to The Old Haunt for free drinks, anytime. The person who surprised him the most, was Captain Gates, who came out personally, to thank him for his help on their previous cases.

As he exited the precinct, he could feel her eyes burning into his back. The silent question of "why", was still left hanging there, when he turned his back. There was a sudden screech of the chair when it was being violently pushed back. He turned when he heard his name being called. She had stood up and was leaning on her desk, unsure if she should go forward. He didn't show any emotion to her, so finally, she gave up and said softly "Have a nice life, Castle", and sat down again. It sounded strained, but Castle knew what she meant. He smiled at her, and said "I'll see you, when I see you."

Those were the last words said between them, and those were the words that haunted him for the rest of the week. Although time had passed, he could not bring himself to admit that he missed her. Missed seeing her everyday, missed solving crime with her, missed being her unofficial partner, professionally. Mostly, he just wanted her back. However, he figured that she had probably moved on by now, and judging by the Scotland Yard Detective who had been eyeing her the entire case, she won't remain single for long.

Rick glanced at his watch again, and decided to do a quick check on his daughter anyway. He turned the doorknob slowly, and tiptoed into the carpeted room. He knew it was silly, but doing that allowed him to relive his childish fantasies of sneaking into places.

He saw his daughter immediately. Her covers were thrown off, and her slim form was sprawled across the bed, shivering uncontrollably. He cautiously approached her bedside, and gently pulled the covers up with as little disruption as he could. She unconciously snuggled into the warmth, and Rick gives in to the urge to pet her head. She groans softly in her sleep, her face contorting into a picture of agony.

"Dad... Please don't go.. No... Don't leave me.." She mumbled, as she tossed and turned around the bed, her covers getting thrown off again. "The bullet wasn't meant for you...it was meant for her, dad... Why'd you do it?"

His face soon mirrored her expression, as he came to a harsh realization. The nightmares that were keeping her awake at night, were of that day when Kate was shot. What further disturbed him, was that she had probably been having them since that day, too. It was no wonder that she had been so protective of him after that incident.

He nudged her shoulder, hoping it would be enough to pull her out of her nightmare. It was, just barely. Her eyes were frantic, and all he could do was wait until she came to her senses, and comfort her until then. Alexis flung herself into his arms like she used to do, when she was a child. No words needed to be exchanged, and Rick sat down on the chair next to her bed, holding her hand. She managed to fall back into sleep, thankfully, without much more trouble.

Rick spent the rest of the night watching over his daughter like he used to do. He decided that although him leaving the precinct was not the best decision, everything had worked out for the best. He did not leave her side until morning, hoping that until then, the nightmares wouldn't see a need to return.

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So, how was it? I wrote this mini fic/one-shot on a whim, so I hope you guys could tell me what you think of it. What did you like? What did you not like? I can take critisisms so fire away:X

Personally, I thought it could have been better, but I didn't have the time to edit much. I will be finishing up my other stories soon, not to worry. This was just to let myself de-stress:P haha.

My exams will be starting soon, so I'll be busier than usual. However, I do hope to get a few stories up here before that:) Any suggestions? Please leave me a review to let me know what you think!

Until next time,

Lianna


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